The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 28 Chapter The King’s Favor! (Please read on)
Imperial Academy

In the early morning, there is a small square table, a pot of tea, a chess board and two stools.

Chu Hong gently held a chess piece, thinking about where to place it. Liu Shi'an, a Hanlin scholar sitting opposite him, was not in a hurry either, and drank tea with a smile.

As the highest official of the Hanlin Academy and a third-rank official, serving in the Hanlin Academy was destined to be just one of Liu Shi'an's experiences. When there were vacancies among the major officials of the six ministries, he would have to fill them.

Liu Shi'an has been in a good mood since he is destined to be promoted in the future. He also knows that the future will be very busy and factional struggles are inevitable, so he cherishes the leisurely life in the Hanlin Academy very much.

Go is one of Liu Shian's few hobbies. Chu Hong is good at making friends and knows how to please others. His Go skills are similar to Liu Shian's, and the two gradually become Go friends.

Liu Shi'an was the one who had gone the furthest among the officials promoted by Old Grand Tutor Wang. Logically speaking, he was not on the same path as the Han faction.

Although Chu Hong is Han Zhang's direct disciple, he is also Sheng Hualan's husband.

As Sheng Hualan is the legitimate granddaughter of Old Master Wang, and Chu Hong is her husband, it is natural that she has some relationship with the remaining disciples and officials of Old Master Wang.

Liu Shian is also a wonderful person. Chu Hong intends to please him, but he also intends to please Chu Hong.

After a few interactions, the two gradually became good friends.

With Liu Shian as the middleman, many officials promoted by Old Master Wang also came forward to visit Chu Hong, with the intention of supporting Chu Hong.

"Zifeng, how is it?"

Liu Shian looked at Chu Hong, who was a little hesitant and indecisive, and couldn't help feeling proud. He was playing against a worthy opponent, who was a top scholar only seen once in three years. The sense of accomplishment after winning was simply overwhelming.

Chu Hong nodded slightly and was about to make a move when a sharp voice came from afar.

"Your Majesty is here!"

Chu Hong and Liu Shi'an looked at each other, and both quickly put down their chess pieces. When Zhao Zhen's majestic figure stepped into the courtyard, they both bowed slightly.

"Your Majesty, I, Chu Hong (Liu Shi'an), pay my respects to you!"

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, I, Yuan Hai, greet you!"

Everyone reacted quickly and greeted them immediately.

"No gift!"

"No need to be polite!"

When everyone stood up, Zhao Zhen looked at Chu Hong and Liu Shian with a smile, but his tone was unclear, "The Attendant Scholar and the Number One Scholar are playing chess. They are a bit leisurely, eh?"

Liu Shian was startled, and immediately bowed and said: "It is a time of rest and elegance, just to calm the mind."

Chu Hong also bowed slightly, muttering something in his heart. The Hanlin Academy has always been idle. The Hanlin scholars here are either here for the experience of serving in the Hanlin Academy, or waiting for the bigwigs in the court to make room for them. All of them have a bright future, and the term "Qinggui" also comes from this.

The leisure of the Hanlin Academy is well known to the world. Zhao Zhen has been on the throne for more than 30 years. How could he not know the true situation of the Hanlin Academy? This is also the situation tacitly approved by the emperor. Why would he suddenly talk about the leisurely playing chess?

And, that tone?
"You all are interested in playing chess, but I, the ruler of the world, am a little uneasy! The scholars of the Hanlin Academy are the smartest people in the world, and some of them are among the top three in the three-yearly competition. In this case, I have some questions in my mind, and I wonder if you can answer them?"

Fuck, this is a typical example of being caught!
Chu Hong and Liu Shian met each other, understood each other, and bowed their heads together.

Just as Chu Hong and Liu Shian thought, Zhao Zhen was indeed setting an example. He was hoping for the best and was really unwilling to establish an heir and give the throne to a member of the royal family. However, he also knew that he could not refuse rashly, otherwise the censors and cabinet ministers would definitely make a desperate petition.

Therefore, Zhao Zhen, who was under a lot of pressure, came to the Hanlin Academy, an extremely leisurely place, to hear the opinions of the Hanlin officials.

After all, the matter of appointing a crown prince certainly cannot be discussed with the officials in the court. Those people all assume that a crown prince should be appointed. If you ask them yourself, I'm afraid you will be telling them how to appoint a crown prince all day long.

As for the quality of officials, those in the Hanlin Academy are definitely a group of people with real talents, and who knows what opinions they may have that are worth adopting.

Well...actually he just wanted a reason to reject his subjects' advice.

"I wonder what doubts your majesty has?"

When Chu Hong and Liu Shi'an met each other, they both realized that it was a matter of appointing a crown prince. This was the only thing that made the emperor angry and helpless during this period of time.

"What do you think, my dear ministers, about the matter of appointing a crown prince?"

After these words were spoken, many Hanlin officials who wanted to show off did not dare to speak, and they all lowered their heads to reduce their presence.

This topic is too advanced to be discussed casually.

Firstly, the matter of appointing a crown prince is complicated and difficult to decide; secondly, it would be bad to either say that a crown prince should not be appointed in accordance with His Majesty's wishes or to say that a crown prince should not be appointed in accordance with His Majesty's wishes.

If you follow your majesty's wishes, who knows if it will ruin the prime minister's plan. If you are messed up by the prime minister, do you still want a smooth career? Going against your majesty's wishes will undoubtedly make your majesty unhappy. Everyone knows what your majesty wants to hear by coming to the Hanlin Academy. Since you have different opinions, it is better not to say it.

However, there are always one or two people in every place who want to be famous and show off, and there are also some people who lose their minds in order to gain the favor of the king.
"Your Majesty, I think it is inappropriate to appoint a crown prince."

Chu Hong raised his eyebrows slightly and looked to the side. There was also a compiler named Chen.

If I remember correctly, this Chen Xiuzhuan had been working in the Hanlin Academy six years ago. He was an official who performed well in the top two categories and was eventually awarded the "top three in the first category" treatment. According to the rules, he would be transferred to another place after a while.

This was probably to leave a deep impression on the emperor before being sent out to facilitate future promotion.

The approach is correct, but unfortunately the general direction is wrong.

As for the matter of succession, the emperor had no son, so he was destined to follow the advice of the prime minister and cabinet ministers, which was to adopt a member of the royal family as the prince.

"Oh? Please tell me in detail!"

When Zhao Zhen heard the answer he wanted, he was shocked and looked happily at the official who was going to be the first to take the risk.

"This this."

Chen Xiuzhuan hesitated and could not answer. In fact, he was simply following the emperor's opinion. Who would have thought that the emperor wanted to hear reasons?
Shouldn't the official be overjoyed when he hears the answer he wants and ask his name or something like that?
Zhao Zhen looked at the expression of the compiler named Chen and sighed deeply in his heart. He said that there should be no crown prince, but he didn't give the reason. What's the difference between this and not saying anything?
No way? Could it be that these people thought that I just wanted to hear words that the crown prince should not be appointed?

If this is true, then is it the turn of the people in the Hanlin Academy to flatter us?

The reason he came this time was to find a reason to deal with his ministers!

In the crowd, a scholar who thought he was well prepared raised his head confidently, "Your Majesty, I also think that you should not appoint a crown prince."

"Oh? What does the Qing family mean?"

"The selection of a crown prince is a family matter for Your Majesty and should not be influenced by the prime minister or the cabinet ministers."

Zhao Zhen frowned slightly and waved his hand to signal the man to stop talking. The confident official's face turned pale instantly. This is not right?

Zhao Zhen sighed in his heart. Choosing a crown prince is a family matter. Although he said so, this statement could not satisfy those ministers!
The prime minister and ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty are powerful!
Afterwards, several people said that a crown prince should not be appointed, but no one's reason sounded good to Zhao Zhen.

"When the king worries, the ministers worry. I am very anxious about the issue of choosing a successor. The number one scholar and the attendant scholar are playing chess leisurely. I believe they have preconceived ideas. Why don't you talk about it?"

Zhao Zhen looked at Liu Shian at the side door and Chu Hong, and he felt inexplicably irritated.

Liu Shian swallowed slightly, then his eyes were firm: "Your Majesty, the country has no crown prince, like a pillar lost, I think you should appoint a crown prince."

Zhao Zhen was silent. There were too many things involved in choosing a crown prince. He also knew the logic behind it, but unfortunately, he had no son!
Zhao Zhen looked towards Chu Hong.

"Your Majesty, from ancient times to the present, the Han Dynasty's Emperor Zhao and Emperor Ai, the Northern Qi Dynasty's last emperor, the Tang Dynasty's Emperor Shao and Emperor Ai, all of them had no successor, which caused chaos in the world. The issue of establishing a crown prince is of great significance and is destined to be unavoidable."

Zhao Zhen frowned slightly. He knew all this, but since he came to the Hanlin Academy, he was not here to listen to reason.

"but."

Zhao Zhen's eyes lit up, his frown relaxed slightly, and he looked at Chu Hong with some anticipation.

"However, establishing a crown prince is not a one-day job, and we should be cautious."

Chu Hong stood still after saying this, but Zhao Zhen's eyes became brighter and brighter, "It's not a one-day effort, it's not a one-day effort!"

"What the top scholar said makes sense. Please give me a lecture later!"

Zhao Zhen patted Chu Hong on the shoulder and left with a loud laugh. His loud and clear laughter made people look sideways.

When the emperor stepped out of the Hanlin Academy, Liu Shian breathed a sigh of relief. "Now that you've said this, His Majesty might delay. Will this affect the plans of the prime ministers?"

Chu Hong shook his head slightly: "The issue of succession is sensitive in itself, not to mention that now that Prince Yan and Prince Yong are in Beijing, the matter is naturally more sensitive. Whether it is Prince Yan and Prince Yong, or the Grand Chancellor and the Elder, they have all reached a consensus and will slowly make suggestions."

"Before this, I discussed state affairs with Master Han. I can tell you about this."

Liu Shian immediately understood that this was the benefit of being a Korean core. "Yes, this matter is indeed difficult to handle. If you are not careful, it will be suspected of advising the establishment of an heir and seeking favor for the crown prince. It is not advisable to make it too rigid. It is also a good thing to ease it a little."

"However, the atmosphere in Bianjing City will probably become even more solemn in the future! His Majesty asked you to give a lecture for him, and among the sixth-rank officials, only Hanlin Yingfengzheng is qualified to give a lecture. You have a bright future!"

Chu Hong smiled, picked up a chess piece and put it down: "You are now the head of the Hanlin officials, and your future is very bright."

"Huh! I won this round!"

"Eh? Hiss..."

(End of this chapter)